US Congress approved military budget with aid for Ukraine | News from Germany on world events | Dw

The US Senate, following the House of Representatives on Wednesday, December 15, approved the country’s draft defense budget for fiscal 2022. The document provides for military spending in the amount of $ 770 billion. That’s five percent more than last fiscal year, and $ 25 billion more than US President Joe Biden proposed.

The draft defense budget adopted by Congress, among other things, provides for the allocation of $ 300 million to support the armed forces of Ukraine. $ 4 billion is earmarked for the European Defense Initiative and $ 150 million will go towards developing security cooperation with the Baltic states.

At the same time, the draft US military budget did not include sanctions against the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and an amendment prohibiting Americans from buying Russian sovereign debt. The document passed by Congress will now go to Biden for approval.

See also:

• Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Checking weapons systems

  So far, artillery fire on both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian border is being conducted for testing purposes. According to official figures, the troops are checking the combat readiness of their weapons systems. In a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, a Russian self-propelled mortar fires.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  West expresses support for Ukraine

  The West assures Kiev of its solidarity. In his first telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, US President Joe Biden reiterated to Volodymyr Zelenskiy “the unwavering support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Donbas and Crimea.” Representatives of NATO and the EU made similar statements.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Troops are pulling up to Donbass

  In early March, Russia began to strengthen its military presence on the border with Ukraine. Moscow said that in this way it responds to Kiev’s provocations aimed at escalating the conflict in Donbass. According to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there were no provocations.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  American destroyers are already in the Black Sea

  The US, NATO and the EU have pledged support to Ukraine in protecting its territorial integrity. On April 9, Ankara reported that the United States had already announced at the end of March the passage of two of its warships through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. The picture shows one of two American destroyers that passed through the strait towards the Black Sea on March 20.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  A war that has been going on for seven years

  The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in early 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. According to the authorities in Kiev and their Western allies, the Kremlin is helping the separatists by supplying illegal weapons and sending mercenaries. Since then, the parties to the conflict have repeatedly agreed on a ceasefire, but these agreements have been constantly violated.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Bombed and destroyed

  This man is standing on the ruins of his house, located on the territory of the self-proclaimed “DPR”. The house was destroyed during the fighting between the separatists and the Ukrainian army. They involve soldiers, mercenaries, separatists and paramilitary units. But the fighting has affected civilians again and again. At the beginning of 2019, according to the UN, about 3,300 civilians were killed in the Donbas.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Clashes and deaths despite the truce

  In total, since 2014, more than 13,000 people have died as a result of the fighting in Donbass. According to the OSCE, the current ceasefire, in effect since July 2020, has been relatively stable. However, shelling has recently become more frequent. In recent days, at least five Ukrainian soldiers and a five-year-old boy have been killed on the territory of the “DPR”. Kiev denies any involvement in his death.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Zelensky presented awards to Ukrainian soldiers

  On April 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Donbass and tried to sort out the situation on the spot. He awarded the Ukrainian soldiers who distinguished themselves in their service at the front. And on April 10, Zelensky will meet with Turkish President Erdogan. Ukrainian media report that Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with French President Macron.

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  Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass

  Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure

  In 2019, Russia began to issue citizenship to residents of the “DPR” / “LPR” using a simplified procedure. According to various sources, about 600 thousand people with Russian citizenship now live there. Moscow has already announced that Russia will take all the necessary measures to protect them. A spokeswoman for the US president said the Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine is now the largest since 2014.

  By Jan Walter, Kevin Mertens

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